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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Taking Genealogy To My iPad

My iPad stepped up another notch on my favorites list recently. Although, I've enjoyed this handy companion for over a year, I haven't moved fully into the genealogy realm with it. Probably because I am not really a true Mac convert. You see, the iPad is my only device that isn't Windows. Am I the only one still hanging out in that category? Just straddling both worlds and still having a good time.

Having said that, a couple of apps that operate on both Mac and Android are definitely favorites because I can use them with my iPad, smartphone and pc. Namely, Dropbox and Evernote. You could call them genealogy helpers, I guess. The notes and storage for documents and photos and websites sure provide research assistance. Also, if I want to store a pdf of a family group sheet or descendant report in one of those apps, I have that with me as a reference. And both of them have free versions that are more than adequate. In fact, I have earned extra space on my Dropbox account by referring others and downloading the app on my smartphone as well.

But a few recent research trips reminded me that I would like more. I decided to look into a means of having my genealogy database on my iPad without switching to a new software program. Did I say I really like my Roots Magic software; and there's no version for Macs?

Well anyway, stored somewhere in my blog-reading memory was info about an app called GedView. I can't believe I didn't go there sooner. This is $3.99 that is well spent. It's so friendly. Within a few minutes of downloading the app on my iPad, I had my full Gedcom loaded and was navigating through my families, sources, notes and facts. You can store multiple gedcoms; even create a new tree within the app. It's very easy to delete a tree and upload a new file, so there shouldn't be any reason not to have the most current information loaded. I have only a short exposure to the GedView app, so I'm still getting the hang of it. But, even with my first glimpse, I'm very impressed. I am sure this is not news to many genealogists, but I just wanted to share my experience for those that are just moving to iPad and want to get a quick fix on genealogy.

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